Strike 2: Some injuries suck more than others. Especially when the injured player is a guy who is doing the right things for the right reasons, right before disaster strikes.
The season – and college football – is over for Colorado State star receiver Tory Horton, who suffered a painful knee injury against San Jose State on Saturday. Horton – who missed time earlier in the year with a groin injury – caught a short inside slant pattern late in the first half while CSU was looking to add on to a 14-7 lead. He was met by more than half of the Spartan’s defense, and took a helmet straight on the knee. After a long time laying on the field, he was almost carried to the sidelines. The Rams fumbled on the next play and SJSU returned it for an 85-yard scoop and score to tie the game. Canvas Stadium went dark in the middle of a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
It was, however, a gut punch that the Rams absorbed and ultimately shook off. They immediately got the ball back and moved into range for a very long 61-yard field goal attempt. The kick was good.., except that SJSU had called time out. The next attempt fell short. But the message was clear. They weren’t giving up.
Horton did the same. He tried to go back in the game in the third quarter, but could only muster a couple of plays before leaving Sonny Lubick Field for good. His teammates stepped up and eventually beat the favored Spartans to win their first conference game of the season.
They will have to go the rest of the way without their captain and best player.
Horton woulda/shoulda passed up his final season in green and gold and turned pro after a sensational 2023 season. But instead, he showed loyalty to the Rams coaching staff that has always shown so much belief in him, and came back for one more year. Obviously he was getting NIL compensation while going to grad school, but he could have taken the bigger money and run. But he didn’t. We’ll never know for certain that if CSU makes a bowl game whether or not Horton would have opted out to train for the NFL like a lot of top prospects do.
Most Rams followers would guess he would have played. But we’ll never know. His injury certainly makes a strong case of those who opt out.
Horton’s was the first of several high profile injuries suffered by local standouts over the weekend. A few hours later, Colorado’s Travis Hunter hurt his shoulder in a violent second quarter collision during the Buffs home loss to Kansas State. He left the game and didn’t return. How long he’ll be out is unclear, but the injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending like Horton’s.
CU also lost standout wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Omarion Miller during the K-State game. Their status moving forward also remains unclear.
Then on Sunday, the Denver Broncos lost super star defensive back Patrick Surtain II to a concussion. He’ll miss the Broncos next game for sure.
Injuries are part of football, but to have all this happen within about 26 hours on an otherwise beautiful weekend has to make you shake your head. It makes it perfectly understandable why most players will take a payday as soon as they can get one, and take cash over loyalty. That’s part of what makes Tory Horton special.
Unfortunately, you never know when something really bad can happen, even when you are doing the right thing.
